Looking into Seattle Reign FC’s unsigned players as the 2025 offseason begins
By Becca Weinberg and Charles Hamaker
Seattle, WA - Our Seattle Reign FC have announced their end of season roster decisions following the conclusion of the 2024 season, as they look towards this offseason where the club will undoubtedly look to find offensive improvements to shore up their roster that’s been unable to consistently score goals over the course of the past few seasons but most recently fell short of the NWSL playoffs by nine points. The club listed 25 different starting lineups in its 26 matches and attracted 14 new players throughout the campaign, including three of the youngest signings in club history, as the Reign are entering a new era in terms of the clubs sale being completed (albeit, at a time that was far past what anyone hoped and almost certainly took them out of the running for several key signings) and those different young players that they signed this past campaign. With new ownership in place, Seattle will have resources to bolster their lineup which they didn’t have under Olympique Lyonnais rule, so the expectation is that the Reign will be adding established contributors to their roster this offseason or in the summer. Before we get to that, or perhaps after some of those big moves are made, Seattle will be looking at the eight players that were on their roster last year and contemplating if they want to bring those respective names back. Here, we’ll give our thoughts and opinions on which of those players the Reign should or shouldn’t bring back.
“We’re still having player meetings and having discussions with players about where they see themselves, and how they feel about continuing or hitting free agency. Right now I think everyone wants a goal scorer that is a go to, big time goal scorer. We’ll always try to look for that game changing type of player. But outside of that, I don’t think we’re ready to get into specifics yet, but we have had several internal conversations about what that looks like and what the project is for 2025”
Seattle Reign FC defender and club original Lu Barnes during the clubs June 16th, 2024 scoreless draw with rival Portland Thorns at Lumen Field on June 16th, 2024. (Photos by Liv Lyons)
Lu Barnes
Becca: Of the eight players who are eligible for free agency, many would make sense for the team to re-sign for 2025 and beyond. For starters, defender and club original Lauren Barnes is not only a key piece of the Reign FC defense but also the greater Seattle community, and it's hard to picture her playing anywhere else.
Charles: I’d agree heavily with Becca’s thinking here, Barnes is still a critical piece to the puzzle for the Reign backline and it was obvious when she wasn’t on the field for them this past year. Lu’s presence on the field is massive for the club, not simply because she’s an original for the Reign but because of how important her communication to the rest of the defensive unit, and that her play itself is still strong despite what a casual might say. It comes down to what Barnes herself wants to do above anything else, as she’s already played a long and decorated career. Barnes dealt with more injuries this past season than she did for most of her career prior to this years campaign, and that isn’t easy to bounce back from as the human body gets older. She’s a valuable presence in terms of her play, her communication, and her leadership, so obviously Seattle would love for her to return, but I imagine it’s more waiting on what Barnes herself decides. My final decision: she comes back, as this very well could be the last season for both Fishlock and Barnes.
“Lu, we’re in discussions with, and we have been all year. Like Jess, Lu is clearly a legend in our club... She is here for the team, she is here for the club, she is here for the players. She’s a mainstay, and she’s had a difficult season, injury and health wise, and it’s been a little bit up and down, a roller coaster. But if when called on, we’ve needed her, she’s there, and she’s always going to put her best foot forward. So with Lu, I’m personally in constant contact with her about what’s next, and how that looks, and what she wants to have happen to try to get to a point where we make a good decision based on where she is in her football, where she is in her health, where she is in her head, and what she wants to do, but she’s someone whose opinion we’ll respect and work with to see what’s next for her. We’re not at that point yet. She had several things happen. She was kind of in and out towards the end of the year as well, and we just want to make sure that she feels like she’s got it to move forward.”
Quinn
Becca: Out of the midfield group, Quinn and King would appear to be the most likely to receive a new contract. Quinn is a five-year club veteran, with a strong defensive value in the midfield that is important to the team. They started fifteen games this past season, with an 85% passer rating and 17 total tackles won. Quinn is not only a Reign FC veteran, but has also recorded 104 appearances for the Canadian National Team, and made their debut for the team at the age of 18. Since then, they have won a bronze and a gold medal with Team Canada. At age 29, Quinn has already been around the game of soccer for many years, and their continued success on both the club and world stage should be plenty of an argument for the team to re-sign them.
Charles: Considering how much head coach Laura Harvey values Quinn’s presence in the midfield, and how much of a strong defensive player that they are, it would make a ton of sense if the Reign were to bring back the Canadian national team mainstay. For the reasons that Becca listed, it makes a ton of sense for this transaction to take place and my only real pause for this signing to take place would be the injuries that they’ve dealt with over the past few seasons, but I doubt that is something that would ward away Harvey and Gallimore.
Seattle Reign FC forward Tziarra King during the clubs May 19th and June 16th matches this season against the Orlando Pride and Portland Thorns, respectively, at Lumen Field. (Photos by Liv Lyons)
Tziarra King
Becca: For King, she has also been with the club for multiple years, after signing in 2021 through the 2024 season. Each year, King has stepped up more into her role and provides a necessary offensive punch in the attack for the Reign when she gets on the field. In 2024, she played the most minutes with the team since she was signed in 2021 with 1,348, good for eight overall on the team. She also recorded 28 total scoring attempts, and is consistently moving the ball up through the opponent’s defense. It also should be noted that King is married to club original Jess Fishlock, and has deep roots in the city of Seattle. King is another impact player that would be wise for the club to re-sign for seasons to come.
Charles: Considering the speed and skill that Tziarra King has displayed during her time with Seattle, it makes sense for the Reign to bring her back as they look to get some offensive improvement next season. Considering the flashes of attacking play that she’s shown and also that she’s now married to club original and team captain Jess Fishlock, I find it hard to believe that Seattle would let her walk unless she truly wanted to. Given that this very well may be Fishlock’s last playing season, it would make a lot of sense for the Reign to sign King to a one-year deal to keep her here and retain someone that they’re familiar with at an attacking position.
Olivia Athens
Becca: Athens and Stanton are two players that could be more on the bubble in terms of receiving a new contract. Athens has been with the club for three seasons, and played significantly more minutes in 2024 than she had in previous seasons, splitting time in the midfield mostly with Quinn and Van der Jagt. She recorded 16 tackles won with 4 scoring attempts in 2024, yet hasn’t completely made a name for herself in that midfield group. By competing with the likes of Quinn, Van der Jagt, King, and others for playing time, it’s been harder for Athens to solidify herself in that position.
Charles: Athens wasn’t a player that I was really high on in her first few years with the club, but seeing her getting some more playing time this past season has changed that. Olivia, one of a few UCLA Bruins on this roster including Lu Barnes, showed strong play in the Reign midfield when she was able to get minutes and looks like an easy decision to bring back Athens to keep the teams depth in that position group, but there’s a scenario where that may not be a possibility. With the potential and strong play that Olivia showed this past season in the minutes that she got, there is a real possibility that a club could lure Athens away with the promise of a expanded role than she has gotten so far during her career with Seattle. For that scenario, I am split on whether or not the Reign could retain her.
Seattle Reign FC midfielder and rookie Maddie Mercado scored her first professional goal during the teams NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup loss on July 28th, 2024 at Lumen Field. (Photos by Rio Giancarlo)
Maddie Mercado
Becca: For Maddie Mercado, it seems like the team would want to continue developing her role as she was drafted by Seattle in 2024, yet it's hard to tell where she fits into the current midfield group as well. With Sam Meza returning from loan next year and then a group of six other midfielders (Jess Fishlock, Jaelin Howell, Angharad James-Turner, Ji So-Yun, Ainsley McCammon, and Olivia Van der Jagt) on the roster, it would be tough to see Mercado working herself into many minutes unless injuries take place or if Seattle wants to sign her and then send her on loan. She has only played in four games, totaling 19 minutes, and provides a very small sample size to analyze. It would make sense for the team to keep her on and continue building her into a strong midfield contender, but her current role leaves a lot of questions unanswered.
Charles: Like Becca, I think it could make sense for the Reign to bring back Mercado and continue the Notre Dame Fighting Irish alums development after drafting her this past season, but it’s a very crowded midfield already and that’s before the potential of Seattle adding an attacking player that could slot into the midfield positional group. There wasn’t much that we saw from Mercado on the playing field in game action, but the quotes that we got from Laura Harvey praised her. I think it’s a very real possibility that Maddie unfortunately is not back with the Reign next season.
Seattle Reign FC goalkeeper Laurel Ivory has held down the backup spot for the club, behind Claudia Dickey, for a few years now. (Photos by Kevin Ng)
Laurel Ivory
Becca: I would anticipate that goalkeeper Laurel Ivory would be re-signed as she has split time with Claudia Dickey this past season, with Dickey dealing with an ailment during the middle part of the year, and has shown to be more than capable when called upon.
Charles: I think that the Reign are in agreeance with how Becca feels about Ivory here, but this is an interesting situation considering what we’ve seen from Laurel when she has gotten minutes for Seattle. The University of Virginia Cavaliers alum has shown that she can handle the starting gig and could be well suited for a situation where a club needs a number one or wants a goalkeeper to change their current starter, but do other teams around the NWSL view her that way? Does Ivory enjoy the situation that she is in with the Reign? She seems to have a settled life here in Seattle currently, so Laurel may opt to remain in the Pacific Northwest. My thought is that we see Ivory stay in Seattle to keep the goalkeeper tandem together. Claudia Dickey is a clear starter, and with Laurel back you don’t need to worry about whose in net.
Maia Perez
Becca: With us looking into Laurel Ivory re-signing and Claudia Dickey under contract as the number one on the depth chart, this would likely lead to goalkeeper Maia Perez entering free agency since she has not made her NWSL debut yet and has not played consistently for the team.
Charles: Unfortunately there isn’t much to say about Perez considering we saw so little of her in her time with this club. Brought in as the clear third goalkeeper on this roster, we’ve never seen her in game action and you can only formulate so much in your mind while watching drills from a goalie. It would be nice to have that familiarity to bring her back in that same third keeper role, but it seems likely that she could pursue a better opportunity elsewhere that would get her some legitimate playing time or at least a higher slot on the depth chart.
Nikki Stanton
Becca: For Stanton, much of my same logic applies to her as it did to Olivia Athens. Although she is another league veteran, she didn’t have consistent minutes with the team in past seasons, and has only started a handful of games. The Reign will likely focus on building around its core group that has shown success in the midfield, rather than re-signing players that haven’t shown as much impact yet.
Charles: It’s tough considering that Stanton is a Washington state native and an incredibly human being, but it seems unlikely that Seattle will be bringing her back this next season. Her role has been essentially non-existent with this team besides late in games where the Reign have a lead and Harvey wants another defensive player on the field to ensure that the lead remains intact. Considering the lack of a real role, her age, and some of the younger midfielders that the Reign can choose from, it just all seems to point to Seattle not bringing her back.
Overall, it would appear that the club would benefit from re-signing most of the players who are eligible for free agency, but it will be interesting to see what decisions are made when official results are announced.
In order to get a better idea about when to expect or look forward to potential additions to our Seattle Reign FC, feel free to consult this set of dates for the offseason.
· Wednesday, Dec. 11: End-of-Year Waivers Commences
· Thursday, Dec. 12: End-of-Year Waivers Concludes
· Friday, Dec. 13: Trade Window Opens
· Friday, Dec. 20: Transaction Moratorium Begins
· Friday, Dec. 27: Transaction Moratorium Ends; Trade Window Opens
What’s next?
With the knowledge regarding the 2025 offseason key dates and what you know about the roster decisions that our Seattle Reign FC have made, it’s time for fans to imagine and hope for the sort of players that the club may acquire as things otherwise get quiet around the NWSL. It’s undeniable that Seattle needs some offensive firepower added to their roster, but it’s going to be intriguing to follow how general manager Lesle Gallimore and the club will go about doing so considering how other rosters around this growing league have been able to bring in top end international talent. With how the different transfer windows come at difficult times for leagues around the world, the Reign bringing in “high end” talent may not come until closer to the summer time, but we’d be surprised if Seattle was quiet this offseason. For now, keep an eye on those notable dates in that instance that the Reign do something in those windows of time.
Instagram: @CirclingSeattleSports Twitter: @CirclingSports Threads: @CirclingSeattleSports Tiktok: @CirclingSeattleSports Facebook: Circling Seattle Sports BlueSky: @circlingseasports.bsky.social
〰️
Instagram: @CirclingSeattleSports Twitter: @CirclingSports Threads: @CirclingSeattleSports Tiktok: @CirclingSeattleSports Facebook: Circling Seattle Sports BlueSky: @circlingseasports.bsky.social 〰️
Check out our previous Seattle Reign FC articles here.
Check out our previous articles with writing by Becca Weinberg here, and her work with Lookout Landing here.
Cover photo by Liv Lyons. Check out Liv’s previous work with Circling Seattle Sports here, and her portfolio here.
Support the work of Circling Seattle Sports by checking out our merchandise!